In a heart-wrenching incident that has exposed glaring gaps in the state’s healthcare support system, a labourer in Faridabad was forced to transport his wife’s dead body on a motorised pushcart (rehri) after allegedly being denied a hearse van. The incident occurred at the government-run Badshah Khan (BK) Civil Hospital, sparking widespread outrage after a video of the ordeal went viral on social media.
The man, identified as Jhunjhun, was seen walking alongside the cart while his 12-year-old son held onto the shroud covering his mother’s body to keep it from slipping. The deceased, Anuradha Devi (35), had passed away on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with tuberculosis. Jhunjhun stated that he had exhausted his life savings on her treatment at multiple hospitals, including AIIMS in Delhi, before she was admitted to the Civil Hospital.
“When she died, I asked the hospital staff for a vehicle to take her body to our home in Sarurpur village, about 12 km away. They refused to help. Private ambulance operators demanded ₹700, which I did not have,” Jhunjhun told reporters. Left with no option, he turned to his family members to arrange a vegetable cart to transport the body. The family’s ordeal did not end there; they reportedly had to borrow money from neighbours to perform the last rites.
Responding to the backlash, Civil Surgeon Dr. Jayant Ahuja has ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter. “A committee of senior doctors under Principal Medical Officer (PMO) Dr. Ram Bhagat has been formed. If any staff member is found negligent in guiding the family or providing the service, strict action will be taken,” Dr. Ahuja assured. Officials noted that while government ambulances are not meant for transporting bodies, hearse vans are available free of cost through the Red Cross Society upon request. Red Cross Secretary Bijender Saurat claimed no such request was received by their control room.
The incident has triggered a political storm, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Anurag Dhandha slamming the ruling BJP government. Terming the visuals of the young boy covering his mother’s body as a “shameful reality” of the state’s healthcare system, Dhandha said, “In a state where the government spends crores on advertisements, a poor man is denied dignity in death. This is the failure of the system.”
